Pennsylvania

From steel and plastics to high tech 

Canada is the Keystone state’s top foreign market, buying more than a quarter of goods exports, worth $10 billion in 2020.

The leading export items are plastics as well as agricultural and construction machinery. Canada is also the destination for half the state’s iron and steel exports and the vast majority of various exported chocolate products and ingredients produced by Pennsylvania-based Hershey Co., one of the world’s largest chocolate manufacturers.

The state’s economy depends heavily on imports of Canadian crude oil, wood pulp, lumber and various metals used in high tech manufacturing and electric vehicles, including aluminum, nickel, zinc, cobalt, graphite and lithium.

Canadian-owned companies employed 27,800 workers in the state in 2018. Among the key employers are CGI Group (computer consulting) Domtar (paper mills in Johnsonburg and DuBois, PA), Stella Jones (sawmills in Pittsburgh and McAlisterville, PA), Hatch LTK (engineering) Air Canada Cargo and TD Bank, which has 65 branches in the state.

What supporters are saying

“A new USMCA is about creating jobs here at home and helping Pennsylvania families build their future.”

Former Governor Tom Corbett (R-PA), May 14, 2019

“By voting for the USMCA, we vastly improved the original NAFTA with enforceable labor standards while promoting American trade and exports.”

Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1), December 19, 2019

“USMCA’s implementation is a historic achievement, and we greatly appreciate the efforts of the U.S., Canadian and Mexican governments in ensuring this trade agreement guarantees robust, fair and rules-based trade of aluminum and aluminum products between the three countries.”

Tom Dobbins, former CEO Aluminum Association, July 2, 2020

“I often say our partnership is unlike any other in the world. It’s not just about trade or tourism, although both of those are important. It’s about friendships and families that bridge the border. And our relationship is not just between governments in Ottawa and Washington or even Quebec City and Albany. It’s between communities and neighbors. And these more personal ties have enabled us to maintain a strong relationship even in tough times.”

David Cohen, U.S. Ambassador to Canada

Spotlight on Canadian business

A global provider of transit, rail expertise

Hatch acquired Philadelphia-based LTK, a 100-year-old engineering firm that specializes in rail and transit engineering, in 2020. The merged company, called Hatch HTK, has become a dominant provider of global transit solutions. The company and its 500 employees are working on projects in Philadelphia, Washington, New York City, San Francisco, Denver, Tucson, Sydney (Australia), and elsewhere. Hatch Ltd., based in Mississauga, ON, has more than 9,000 employees worldwide.

Tapping into Pittsburgh’s growing tech sector

CGI, based in Montreal, is one of the world’s largest information technology consultants, with 77,500 employees and expertise in systems integration, outsourcing and intellectual property. In 2018, the company opened an innovation center in Pittsburgh, PA, where hundreds of CGI consultants and their clients can work jointly on projects in a collaborative studio, virtual lab and other spaces. CGI cited the city’s resurgent technology sector and deep talent pool for the decision to locate there. In 2018, it launched STEM@CGI Pittsburgh that builds on a global program to introduce, inspire and mentor students to help increase diversity in the IT industry. Run in partnership with KFA TV, it focuses on groups underrepresented in STEM including students who are female, Black, Latino, Indigenous, have disabilities and/or are economically underserved.

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